“On the Road”

When Syd isn’t considering the complicated inner workings of her love life, she’s unpacking career milestones and getting acclimated to her newfound notoriety. These peeks inside her burgeoning fame are candid and refreshing; “All About Me” (off Fin) tracked the adjustment of going solo, as someone who first found her voice in a group, and outlined what she owed her bandmates. “On the Road,” the ideological centerpiece of her new “feature soundtrack” Always Never Home, considers her next move. The low-key soul boomer is a tour bus stargazer in which Syd reflects on the path that’s taken her far from home; she makes her soulful hip-hop musings travel-sized, delivering concise, quick-hitting impressions.

The Kintaro-produced beat dribbles beaded synths down rumbling bass as Syd shuffles through, oozing her typically effortless cool. The production slows to a halt before serving a sudden change-up; blaring tones introduce an alternate drum pattern snap around Syd’s distorted, almost murmured vocals. She takes a few moments to bask in her recent winning streak, but isn’t immune to the nagging pressures of a nomadic lifestyle: “Still she sleepin’ in a van, to meet the fans/Always something to promote, but, hey, this was the goal.” There’s a certain discomfort attached to touring, and being on the road comes with many hassles. But as Syd makes clear in “On the Road,” everything she does is for the people waiting back home.